Year: 2020

To view the original story on Fox 5 Washington, D.C., click here.  This week Pfizer plans to file for emergency approval of its coronavirus vaccine. The company said it’s 95 percent effective and has no major side effects – but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy to get it to the public. Reason being, the vaccine needs to be kept extremely cold. So much so, the company said in a press release that it has developed temperature-controlled thermal shippers. They’re filled with dry ice – which is where companies like Roberts Oxygen come in. Since the Pfizer news broke, the Rockville-based company…

Norco, one of the nation’s largest privately owned welding, safety, medical and gas suppliers, announces the acquisition of Arc Services in West Jordan, Utah as a strategic addition to its automation and welder services. Norco assumed ownership on November 1, 2020. Arc Services, established in 1998, is the west’s dominant regional automation and welding equipment repair facility. They specialize in the repair and service of all welding, plasma system, cutting table and automation equipment built by major manufacturers. Knowing that down time is costly, they have the manpower, knowledge, resources and abilities to get their customers up and operating quickly.…

To read the original story from News10 Albany, click here. The increase demand for dry ice and freezers comes as Americans gear up for two COVID-19 vaccines that have shown promise. Noble Gas Solutions in Albany says they are ready as they already distribute dry ice to pharmaceutical companies. Noble Gas Solutions is the only manufacturer of dry ice, onsite, within 120 miles of Albany. They offer delivery services for high-volume users, and pick-ups are welcome at their Albany and Kingston locations. They provide FDA approved dry ice for the food and beverage industry. “We pretty much can produce on demand, and we…

Workshops for Warriors’ inaugural Military Face-Off Fundraiser has begun! Now through December 31, 2020, join forces with one of six teams representing each branch of the military (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and yes … Space Force) to see who can raise two WFW student scholarships, or $50,000, first. Through this competitive fundraiser, WFW hopes to exceed its goal of raising a total of $300,000 — enough to put 12 veteran students through its nationally-recognized welding or CNC machining programs. The Face-Off is completely online using GoFundMe-like functionality powered by Workshops for Warriors’ fundraising partner, Classy. Join…

By Molly Burgess nexAir has broken ground on a new location in Miami, Florida. The distributor of atmospheric gases and welding supplies, today (5th Nov) said the new building will serve as its Florida Centralised Warehouse, replacing the current facility in Okeechobee. Click here to read the full article by gasworld.

PHMSA Provides Regulatory Relief for Cylinder Requalification. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has amended the requirements of the requalification periods for certain Department of Transportation (DOT) 4- series specification cylinders in noncorrosive gas service in response to a petition for rulemaking submitted by the National Propane Gas Association. 85 Fed. Reg. 66790 (October 30, 2020). This final rule authorizes 12-year initial and subsequent requalification periods for volumetric expansion testing and a 12-year initial requalification period for proof pressure testing. This final rule does not modify the existing 10-year subsequent requalification periods for proof pressure testing. In addition, it…

In light of the ongoing risks and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, all Compressed Gas Association (CGA) meetings, seminars, committee meetings, and other events will continue to be held virtually through June 30, 2021. The 2021 CGA Annual Meeting will not take place as an in-person meeting in April 2021. Details to be provided at a later date. In the coming months, we will publish the schedule for CGAConnect 2021, with a full slate of online events for the first half of 2021. We wish to thank all our member company volunteers for your dedication to developing – in close…

According to a post on IWDC.coop, US OXO, LLC opened a new branch store in Kerrville, TX: US OXO, LLC 124 Blue Ridge Drive, Suite 101-104 Kerrville, TX 78028 Phone: 830-955-8502 Congratulations to everyone at US OXO, LLC.

RN Goss Gas Products and Provanta, Inc. have been serving the community’s propane needs for over 85 years. They recently staged an open house to showcase their growing fleet of clean air delivery vehicles powered by propane. Dave Goss, President at Goss Gas and Provanta, explains that while most of their delivery fleet ran on propane in the 1970s, government regulations eventually made converting to propane powered vehicles impractical. Now, due to recent interest in alternative fuels, Goss has begun to transition his delivery fleet to new purpose-built propane powered vehicles. For Goss, the second wave of these trucks began…

GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of Roger Bolenbaugh, former CEO of IWDA/IWDC, who passed away on October 3, 2020. According to an obituary posted on iwdc.coop: “Roger Bolenbaugh, 79, of Fort Wayne, passed away on Saturday, October 3, 2020. He was born to the late Fred and Elaine (Blythe) Bolenbaugh in Grover Hill, OH on January 2, 1941. Roger was the Valedictorian of Grover Hill High School Class of 1958. He married Patricia Ann Ross on June 25, 1960 at the Grover Hill United Methodist Church. He was a business executive for Lincoln Life Financial, W.…

Read the full press release from Central McGowan below. ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Central McGowan (www.centralmcgowan.com), a leading supplier of gases and state-of-the-art equipment/technology for the manufacturing, welding, medical, and food and beverage industries in the upper Midwest and a FANUC-authorized integrator of automation/robotic solutions, announced that it is expanding its Fargo, N.D. CO2 distribution hub to be a fully-stocked retail store and distribution site. Central McGowan’s Fargo store is located at 1226 38th St N, Fargo, ND 58102 (next to the newly painted water tower). The store officially opens today. Central McGowan has had a presence in the area…

Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide (CO2). It is used extensively as a cooling agent in a variety of applications such as food chilling and freezing, vaccine cooling, expendable refrigeration, blood and tissue sample preservation, heat treating of metals, and many more. It is also sometimes used to create special effects such as fog for events or stage presentations. Dry ice is extremely cold (−109.3 °F / −78.5 °C) and rapidly sublimates, or converts, into carbon dioxide gas at room temperature. It is critical that users read and follow the instructions and safety precautions provided by their…

TSA Extends Exemption for Expired Hazardous Materials Endorsements.  The Transportation Security Administration has extended the exemption from Renewal of the Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HME) Security Threat Assessment for CDL drivers which was scheduled to expire on October 30, 2020.  The exemption is now effective through December 31, 2020. Under this exemption, states may extend the expiration date of HMEs that expire on or after March 1, 2020, for 180 days, due to restrictions and business closures in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If a state grants an extension, the individual with an expired HME must initiate the process…

GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of Jillian Leanne Brown, who tragically passed away at the age of 16 in a car accident on October 20, 2020. Jillian worked at her father, Johnathan Brown’s, company U.S. Tank and Cryogenic. She will be missed. For a full obituary, read below or click here. Jillian Leanne Brown, a beautiful 16-year-old light in this world, lost her life tragically as a passenger in a car accident on October 20, 2020. Jillian entered this world on February 26, 2004, in Sarasota, Florida to her parents Jonathan and Jennifer Brown. Jillian was…

GAWDA held its first ever virtual Annual Convention on Friday, September 25, 2020. The hour-long virtual event was the “Business Session” of the Convention, which was supposed to have been held in Phoenix, Arizona. Members of GAWDA’s Executive Committee, including Abydee Butler Moore, Bob Ewing, Gary Halter, Robert Anders, Brad Peterson, and Ned Lane, as well as GAWDA Executive Director John Ospina were on camera and spoke during the event. Abydee welcomed members to the event, saying, “When I stood before you in fall 2019 in Washington DC, I laid out our 2020 VISION for this year.  That vision included…

I have had the privilege of working with some very bright Millennials (born 1980 through 1994), individuals who have excelled in their use of effective sales tools. Among them, a select few have shown the passion and skill set necessary to become “best in class” sales managers. There was one person, in particular, who I felt was very talented. Her goal was to develop a career in executive distribution management at the regional level. To achieve that, we worked together on sharpening her expertise in the areas necessary for success as a next generation sales manager. Here are some of…

There are so many possibilities to open with, so many stories to tell, so many lessons learned from the unimaginable turmoil this year has turned to. Unpredictable and unprecedented are understatements. Who in their wildest dreams could have seen this coming? The business world was still and quiet for a while but thank goodness it’s picking up again. We’ve learned our lessons and discovered new ways to move forward. New customer buying habits are being created, but “business as usual,” or the way it was before, is not likely to resurface anytime soon, if ever. Virtual and cloud options have…

Read the full press release from nexAir below. nexAir announced Friday that it has acquired the business operations and customers of Atlanta Medical Gases, LLC (“Atlanta Medical Gases”), a medical gas supplier located in the Atlanta, Georgia area.  The healthcare customers of Atlanta Medical Gases will complement nexAir’s strong medical gas presence in the greater Atlanta area and will benefit from a broad range of offerings nexAir provides to ensure the success of its customers. “The addition of the strong customer relationships at Atlanta Medical Gases to our current healthcare-related services and operations will be beneficial to everyone and expand…

I have spent the last year writing articles for Welding & Gases Today talking about my experiences working in the gases and welding industry and specifically working within the dynamics of a family business. In my last article, “Tips for Young People Considering Joining the Family Business,” I spoke at length about the transition process for a family business. As we all know, family businesses make up a huge percentage of GAWDA’s memberships and the transition process can be a difficult thing for both the younger and older generation to go through. As I said in my last article, working…